Brad Larschan
Brad Larschan co-founded Avadain and has been involved with the development and patenting of Avadain’s technology since 2016. He has served on Avadain’s Board of Directors since its inception and arranged early investment in Avadain’s technology by Panasonic. Mr. Larschan has extensive experience in the development and commercialization of breakthrough technologies, including co-founding and leading Bastille LLC, which commercializes disruptive technologies created by universities and research institutions worldwide. Mr. Larschan has extensive expertise in patenting to support commercialization and enforcement of IP-based technologies. He is a member of the IAM Strategy 300: The World’s Leading IP Strategists, which identifies individuals leading the development and implementation of strategies that maximize the value of IP portfolios. Mr. Larschan has held leadership roles in a number of start-up and early-stage companies since 1993. Before that, he was an international lawyer in Washington, DC. Mr. Larschan has a BS (magna cum laude) in journalism and politics from Boston University; MALD (high honors) from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (concentration: international law, international security studies, diplomatic history & international energy policy); JD (cum laude) from Boston College Law School.
> Listen to Brad Larchan’s interview on Investment Research Radio
Phil Van Wormer
Phil Van Wormer is a co-founder of Avadain and responsible for its manufacturing scale-up and marketing. He has over 40 years of experience leading the development and global commercialization of over 50 new technologies, products and services including advanced membranes, films, polymers and aerospace composites, sustainable micro grids, super capacitors and ultra-efficient electric vehicles. Mr. Van Wormer has held senior executive positions at Fortune 500 companies, including DuPont and GE, as well as CEO and Chief Commercial Officer roles for early stage private equity and venture capital backed technology companies. His manufacturing experience includes leading the turnaround of a $100 million polymer manufacturing operation in Texas and the start-up of a new film manufacturing facility in Japan. During his career, he has also been involved in a number of entrepreneurial endeavors, including wireless spectrum development and off-grid solar systems. Mr. Van Wormer holds a Chemical Engineering degree from Tufts University.
Ericka Wojack
Ericka Wojack co-founded Avadain and has served on its Board of Directors since its inception. She is responsible for overseeing the financial and operational activities of Avadain. Ms. Wojack has extensive experience managing growth and the cash position of start-up and early stage companies. As CFO of Bastille LLC, she helped value and structure numerous license agreements. Since 1995, she was President of The Salisbury Group LLC, which advised high net worth individuals on early stage investments, as well as providing strategic advice to start-up and early stage companies. Prior to this, she was COO of The House of Windsor Collection and the Managing Director for Petersen Consulting’s London office, where she advised clients on risk exposure. Ms. Wojack has a BBA (Finance) from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and an EMBA (summa cum laude) from the University of Memphis. She is a member of the Institute of Management Accountants, where she is a Certified Management Accountant and Certified in Financial Management.
Henry Ford III
Henry Ford III has joined graphene manufacturing technology licensing company Avadain, Inc. as non-executive Chairman of the Board.
Mr. Ford advises early-stage companies and serves on several boards of directors, including Ford Motor Company, where he sits on the finance committee and the sustainability, innovation, and policy committee. He began his career at Ford in 2006 holding positions in investor relations, corporate strategy, sales and marketing, purchasing, and labor relations.
Mr. Ford also serves as an advisor at Edgewater Funds, a private equity firm based in Chicago. He is a trustee of the Ford Foundation, the Henry Ford Museum, Neighborhood Villages, and the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant. He is a member of the advisory boards of Henry Ford College, Bridging Communities, Operation HOPE and MiSide.
Mr. Ford holds a BA from Dartmouth College and a MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.
Dr. Sarah Roscher
Sarah was the key team member who developed our graphene flake manufacturing technology at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics. She did her PhD thesis on electrochemical exfoliation of graphene. Sarah is a named inventor on each of Avadain’s patent applications. Sarah has pioneered the production of large, thin and few defect graphene flakes using optimized electrochemical exfoliation and expansion. She is a consulting graphene scientist for Avadain and supports the upscaling to mass production work being performed at Southwest Research Institute.
Dr. Kevin Wyss
Dr. Wyss did his PhD in graphene synthesis from waste materials using the Flash Joule method under Prof. James Tour. He has experience in production and characterization of graphene and its use as an additive in composites, electrocatalysis, energy storage, and other sustainable applications.